Towel dispensing cabinet



Original Filed Aug. 17, 1938 ma?? 7 Zeb! f f Patented Nev. 11,A 1941"Rudolph G.. Birr, Lombard, and Albert C. Grun- `waldyRiver Forest,Ill., assignorsmto `Steiner,

, Sales Company, lSalt L ration of Utah ake City, Utah, a corpoorignalapplication August 17, 193s, serial No.`

l 225,398. Divided and this application ber 23, ,-1940, `Serial No.371,344

'4 Claims.`

This invention'relates `tdimprovements in dis'- pensingcabinetconstructions, including a door which is opened :when servicingor loading the Decemcabinet with a supply of fresh toweling,` and` to`means for hinging the door and for holdingit open during servicing,` w

This lapplicationis divisional of lcopending application' Serial No.225,398,` filed August 17, 1938,

now Patent Number 2,255,609.

The lmain object of the invention herein is to provide `a specific doorhingingscheme for doors, andalso -to provideva hinging schemeparticularlyapplicable to an upwardly opening doorfor a `toweldispensing cabinet. `A feature is the -means `for automatically "holdingthe door in fopen position, and another feature relates to the `mannerof lhinging av door to the sides of a cabinet in a manner to have'the`door `swing to a position entirely above thecabinet when in openposition. This invention provides a hinging scheme andstructure which isinvisible when the door is closed. i v

Another feature of the invention is the use of two brackets, each ofwhich is attached by one portion rigidly to the door and each of whichis pivoted by another portion to the inner side of a lateral Wall of thecabinet.

Objects, features and advantages of the Iinvention will be disclosed inthe description of the drawing, `and in said dravn'ng the single `iigureis a vertical transverse section with the door closed and with the upperdoor shown in dotted lines in open position, to illustrate theaction ofthe hinging means.`

In the drawing, the numeral I generally desig` nates the outer casinghaving side walls 2 and a rear wall 3. Numeral IIJ indicates ank upperdoor or cover which forms part of the top and closes about one-half /ofthe front opening.

It is to be noted that by making the upper door form a part of the topwall of theV cabinet, as well as part of the front wall of the same, and

by using thetype of hinge herein and placing it as shown, the door whenfully open is caused to occupy a position entirely above the upperclosed that thefdoor'when swung to Vfull open position lies eitherentirely to one side, entirely above, or entirely below a cabinet.

The top door is hingedbya pair of arcuate` members generally designated4l), each having one endf4l fxedas by welding to the inner surface ofthat part of theupperdoorwhich forms a part` of the top wall `of thecabinet. "The remainingtop wall of the cabinet'iis indicated by ythe'numeral 42. By` this arrangement the meeting` pointi43 of `the `front ofthe top wall 42 with 'the rear `edge ofthe `top-forming portion 44 ofthedoor I0 occurs at a'point intermediately of the frontand rearsurfaces of the cabinet. "This point iszshown almost midway between thefront and the rear, but thearrangement is such that `when the door `isopen, asshown inrdotted lines in*v the figure, thewhole door isnot onlymoved fupwardly tolie `entirelyabove the cabinet, but

bytheiqhinging Vmeans'it is brought rearwardly so that itdoes notprojectso far: forwardly of the frontfplane of xthe cabinet. i Each`arcuate hinging member has a cross extension 46 having its innerendpivoted as at 41 to the inner side of the side Wall of the outer casing.The members 40 are formed to be light in weight and can be formed bypressing or molding. This pivotal point, it is noted, is placedyrearwardly of the meeting line 43. In the case of the right-handmember, that is, the right-hand member 4U as viewed in Figure 1, thismember is in this instance provided with an extension 48 which serves asa latching extension engageable with a flange-stop 50 carried by an arm5I pivotedas at 52 to a bracket 53 fixed to the inner side of thecasing, and yieldably pressed by means of spring 54 against a stop 55 onthe casing. The spring surface of the top of the cabinet, and the hing-A ing means is invisible when the `door is closed. In this embodiment ofthe invention there is an inner unit which is detachably secured in theouter casing. The scheme for attaching this unit connects at one endwith a lateral extension of arm 5I and at the other end with a lateraleX- tension of the bracket 53.

The inner end of the arm 48 acts, as the door is opened, to engage theelement 50 and by a wiping motion to swing the arm 5I to the right.Afterthe extension 48 has passed the top of the element 50, the springagain moves the arm 5l to the position shown in the drawing, and theextension 48 is disposed on the top of the latch 50. The stop 55yperforms the double function of limiting inward motion of the arm 5I andupward motion of the extension 48. If element 5 5 is not used, however,the rear end 56 of the door could engage the top surface of the wall 42as a stop.

It is believed broadly new to hinge a door by two members, each rigidlyattached to the door and pivoted to a wall of the cabinet for which theception of the hinges or pivots herein in relation to a closure elementwhich forms parts of two diierent sides of a cabinet is also believed tobe new.

It will be understood that the door-latching mechanism is not requiredat the opposite side of the cabinet (not shown).

We claim as our invention:`

1. A cabinet, a door for the cabinet, a pair of door-hinging members,one pivoted to each corresponding side wall of the cabinet, each memberbeing immovably secured to the door, a pivoted latch member on thecabinet, and means carried by one of said members adapted to engage andmove the latch as the door is opened and thereafter engage the latch tohold the door in open position.

2. A cabinet, a door for the cabinet, a pair of door-hinging members,one pivoted to each corresponding side wall of the cabinet, each memberbeing immovably secured to the door to form a hinge for the door, apivoted latch member on v the casing, means carried by one of saidmembers adapted to engage and move the latch as the door is opened andthereafter engage the latch to hold the door in open position, said doorforming the front and part of the top of the cabinet and said membersbeing pivoted at points rearwardly of the meeting line of the rear partof the top and the door of the casing whereby when said door is latchedin open vposition it lies entirely above the cabinet, and whereby thedoor is shifted bodily in a direction toward its pivoted points.

3. A cabinet having an outer casing, said casing having a wall formingpart only of one side of the cabinet, a door having a portioncooperating with said wall to complete formation of that side and havinganother portion which closes the front of the cabinet, hinging means forthe door comprising a pair of arcuate members, each having one end fixedto the door and having a cross extension having its inner end pivoted tothe outer casing, a latching member yieldably urged to latching positionand having a surface engageable by the cross extension of one of saidarcuate members as the door is opened, to move the latch away fromlatching position, means engageable by said cross extension for limitingopening movement of the door at a predetermined position, and means onsaid latching member between which and said limiting means the extensionand therefore the door is held against movement in either of twoopposite directions.

4. A cabinet having an outer casing, said casing having a wall formingpart only of the top, a door having a portion cooperating with said wallto complete formation of said top and having another portion whichcloses the front of the cabinet, hinging means for the door comprising apair of arcuate members, each having one end fixed to the door andhavinga cross extension having its inner end pivoted to the outer casing, alatching member yieldably urged to latching position and having asurface engageable by the cross extension of one of said arcuate membersas the door is opened to move the latch away from latching position,means engageable by said cross extension for limiting opening movementof the door at a position over the cabinet, and means on said latchingmember between which and said limiting means the cross extension andtherefore the door is held against movement in either of two oppositedirections.

RUDOLPH G. BIRR. ALBERT c. GRUNWALD.

